Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 23✰

"I'll look after him, Rey," I tell the girl as she sits by Finn's bedside. Ever since our battle with Kylo Ren on Star Killer base, Finn has been unconscious after suffering a strike down his back, caused by Ren's Lightsaber. Rey has kept close to him over the past couple of days, but now that it is time for her to leave, that duty falls upon someone else. 

She nods. "Thank you." She stands up, pressing a kiss to his forehead. She takes her backpack from the ground, along with her staff. I follow her out of the base and toward the Falcon, where Chewie is already waiting for her. 

When R2 showed us the map to Luke, I immediately volunteered to go, but Mom wouldn't have it. She said she needed me here on the base. Instead, she appointed Rey, and after a long conversation, she agreed to go. 

At first, I didn't know why she wouldn't let me go as I had been his student once, but after she sat down with me, she explained why it was necessary for Rey to go. 

When we arrive at the Falcon, it seems as if the whole Resistance has come out to see her off. Mom stands a few feet from it all with BB-8. Rey says goodbye to her and I give her a hug. "Say hi to him for me," I say with a joking undertone. She chuckles. 

"Will do," she says before turning around. 

"Rey?" I call and she looks back. "May the Force be with you." 

She smiles before heading inside the Falcon with Chewie. Poe comes up to us and casually drapes an arm around my shoulders. I roll my eyes with a chuckle. The Falcon's engines fire up and seconds later, it elevates off the ground. The group around me hollers and cheers and I wave as the ship takes off and disappears in the distance. 

I let out a breath. "You okay?" Poe asks. 

I nod. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just..." I start before turning to face him. "Before all this, I tried to find Luke through the Force. It's something he taught us to do. That way, we can always find each other when we need to. But when I searched for him, I couldn't find him." 

"What does that mean?" he asks. 

"Well, it can mean two things," I say. "Either he closed himself off from the Force, or he's dead. And I don't know which is worse." 

He lets out a soft breath. "Yeah, that's... That's something," he mutters. "But if he closed himself off from the Force, can't he just reconnect?" 

I chuckle. "The Force isn't a droid you can turn off and on again, Poe," I say. "In order to become one with the Force again, you have to train and meditate for years. Why do you think I spent fifteen years on that island?"

He shrugs. "Because the weather's nice?" he asks, making me laugh. 

***

While the darkness of the night cloaks the Resistance base, I am asleep in my bedroom, fighting off the demons in my head. A thin layer of sweat rests on my forehead as my fists ball up by my sides. The image of my brother driving a Lightsaber through my father's chest plagues my mind. I am whimpering and muttering to myself, but I can't seem to wake up, no matter how badly I want the horrors to stop. 

After what feels like an eternity, I sit up in bed with a gasp, only to discover I am no longer in my bed. I'm on the ground, along with my sheets. I must've fallen out of bed after witnessing the death of my father for the umpteenth time. I sigh to myself, rubbing the sleep from my face. My hair is a tangled mess and I decide to change out of my damp clothes. After putting on clean clothes, I wrap myself in my warm Jedi robes before heading outside, figuring I probably won't be able to sleep for the rest of the night. Not after what my nightmares showed me. 

"You've been avoiding me," Anakin's voice speaks up and I turn to my left, finding him walking beside me.

"That's because I know what you're gonna say," I state, folding my arms as I stroll through the Resistance settlement. 

"Oh, really?" he remarks, sarcastic surprise in his voice. When I don't answer, he continues anyway. "You turned to the Dark Side." 

"One time," I shoot back, chewing on the inside of my cheek. 

"It's still one time," he says. "That one time can turn into a second time until you completely turn, just like your brother." 

I let out a breath through my nose. "I know," I mutter. "I don't know what happened. I lost control."

"And that can be very dangerous. You have to be careful, Raven. I don't want to see you follow in Ben's footsteps," he tells me. 

I nod. "I'll do my best, I promise." 

"Okay," he agrees. "Now go say hi to your flyboy." 

I frown at his words but when I look up, I realise I've walked straight to Poe's house. I raise a brow at Anakin, but he just grins before disappearing.

Through the window, I spot Poe sitting at his kitchen table, reading through something in front of him. I sigh softly before knocking on the door. Seconds later, he opens. 

"Raven? What are you doing here?" he asks, confusion etching his eyebrows. 

"I had a nightmare so I went out to clear my mind, until I ended up on your doorstep," I say with a shrug. "Can I come in or are you busy?" 

"No, it's fine. Come on in," he says, stepping aside to let me through. "I was just checking some things." 

"You've always been an insomniac," I comment with a chuckle. I travel into his house and I am greeted by BB-8 who beeps excitedly as I enter. I greet him with a smile and sit down on the couch, wrapping my robes closer around myself. A shiver runs down my spine and I shudder, leaning my back against the back of the couch. 

"Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, sitting down next to me. 

I shake my head. "No, it's the same nightmare I've had for days. Ever since Dad..." I choose not to finish my sentence. 

"I get it. I wish I could take all of it away," he says softly, reaching for my hand. I lean my head on his shoulder. Silence envelops the room and I close my eyes. I focus my thoughts on the feeling of my hand in Poe's and the gentle thumping of his heartbeat. Before I know it, I fall back asleep and make it through the night without a nightmare for the first time in days.